Some things are just meant to go together with each other. Like peanut butter and jelly, like wood and glue. But isn’t it impressive when they’re not, yet don’t they work out unbelievably well? That’s the case of Team Teamwork’s videogame-oriented work: the blend of everything you loved as a child and everything you loved as a teen or in college. And, if our teen and college years proved anything, it is that those two couldn’t be more different.
Let’s start from the top. Team Teamwork is a musician/producer/mash-up artist who remixes rap songs, usually adding new samples, and heavier beats to songs by some of the most well renowned artists of the hip-hop world. Sometimes, though, the samples come from some of the most beloved videogames in history, like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time or Final Fantasy VII. And now comes the time for a new release, aimed for some of us who are a bit older: SUPER NINTENDO SEGA GENESIS (WHEN I WAS DEAD BROKE, MAN, I COULDN’T PICTURE THIS). Yes, all in caps.
Mixing Jay-Z with Nobuo Uematsu (composer of the Final Fantasy VII soundtrack) or Big Boi and Super Metroid might come off as just odd. The good news is that the songs are fantastically crafted, and Team Teamwork makes them blend as if they had always been like this. We were able to talk with him, about where this idea came from, and this is what he explained:
Originally, I did more traditional mashups – using songs I liked from my iTunes as a source for samples (These are all on Good-ass Remixes Vol. 1) and one day I was really frustrated with not being able to find a sample to use. Serendipitously, my girlfriend was playing Ocarina of Rhyme and I noticed that the Overworld theme was around 80-90bpm, which is perfect tempo for hiphop. So I tried using that as a sample, and it worked so well that I set a goal to make an entire album using OoT-based samples.
Big Boi & Cutty – Shutterbugg (Super Metroid)
After the first album (Ocarina of Rhyme) turned out so well, he tackled the fan favorite Final Fantasy VII in Vynil Fantasy VII, all the while working on more tracks for the “Dude, Whatever, It’s Summer” albums. And, if the next Super Nintendo Sega Genesis album is not enough for you, in just a couple of months he will be releasing Good-Ass Mixes Vol. 2. Over-achiever, anyone?
Ghostface Killah – The Champ (Ristar)
Once we’re listening to the tracks of Super Nintendo Sega Genesis, the album, the feeling of nostalgia is over-whelming. The tracklist is full of classics like Yoshi’s Island, Sonic 3, Streets of Rage and Mortal Kombat, mixed with artists the size of Ghostface Killah, the legend from the Wu-Tang Clan, or some stuff a bit more modern, like Kanye. The samples really fit the mood of the lyrics, and enhance them making it a lot of fun to listen to at any geeky get together. The initiative is fantastic, and even though Team Teamwork did 12 tracks, this fan just wishes he’d keep going on and on. “Where’s Chrono Trigger and Raekwon?”. Maybe next time, pal!
Lupe Fiasco – I Gotcha (Sonic 3)
So now you know best for whenever you’re throwing a party, you’ll be able to keep both the party animal and the geek happy with a bunch of kickass tunes that clash the best of both worlds.
For more posts about geeky rap tunes, check the Weird Mario Bros Rapping in Japanese and the Hilarious Rap Battle between Harry Potter and Voldemort.
